An Immortal Time
by Na Hoku
Summary: [Side Story to Without Life] Hotaru ponders on Naruto and her own timeless life, the mistakes she's made and regrets she has... (“Otouto,”“Huh? What did you say Hotaru?”“That’s how I’m going to call you from now on.”“Oh. Can I call you Onee-chan?”) R


Mesa no own Naruto

Seito: -Sweatdrop- this story is like a year old… : P Ah well, just a short story. It takes a look at Hotaru's relationship with Naruto/Shin. (mostly on the Naruto part) Her POV however is shortly after Naruto lost his memory.

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_An Immortal Time_

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Sometimes I regret it. I really regretted it. I knew what his life was like and I knew what was in store for him in the future. Yet I took him for granted. I didn't see who he was and who he was trying to be until it was too late. I will always regret the fact that I took him for granted.

That's the problem with being a _Slatrommi_. After awhile, you begin to take things for granted. Being ageless and timeless, things begin to slip the mind. The fact that –**I**- had all the time in the world, whereas he was limited to a mortal's lifetime never dawned on me. The realization hit me hard when it did. They say to realize the value of a year, ask a mortal who failed to advance to the next level. To realize the value of a month, ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby. To realize the value of a week, ask an editor of a weekly magazine. To realize the value of an hour, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet. To realize the value of a minute, ask a person who just missed saying goodbye to loved ones leaving for a trip. To realize the value of a second, ask a ninja who just avoided death. All of these saying are true, but when time means nothing to you, you begin to lose sight of what time is.

I met him when he was a mere child. I had heard the whispers in the wind that my friend, Kyuubi, had been defeated by a mortal and sealed into a stomach of another one. I set out to find the truth. When I came upon the truth, what I found was not my friend. Instead I found myself looking into the sapphire blue eyes of a child. He didn't know it, but with my friend sealed inside of him, he had been granted with the Demon Eyes. He could see me whether I wanted him to or not.

I didn't understand. It had been years since a mortal had been able to defeat a demon or a _Slatrommi_. Nowadays, such a thing is unheard of. Yet before me was a mortal child who had no idea of what was inside of him. As I peered into his life I realized that he had no idea of what was inside of him and those who did, hated him. At that time, I was angry for two reasons at two different sources. It was never directed at him of course. I was angry at my friend for acting so foolishly and stupidly. (Sometimes his antics never cease to amaze me). I was also angry at the mortals for mistreating a boy who had no idea what burden was, but seemed to sense it.

As I silently steamed, he tugged on my robe. At the time I had forgotten that he was still there. I can still hear the first words he spoke to me. "_Are you my okaa-san?"_ (I don't look that old, do I?) Yeah, well, that was the first time in a long time that a mortal left me speechless. Of course I tend to forget things like that, so I ended up hitting him on the head lightly, taking what he said as an insult. Surprisingly he didn't react like how I thought he would. Unlike most mortal children, who would have broken down crying after being hit, he just rubbed his wound and said, "_What did you do that for!"_ Perhaps some of Kyuubi's habits were rubbing off of him cause even then he had also never ceased to amaze me. Thus began my awkward relationship with the little boy who happened to have my friend sealed inside of him. Strange, ne?

But I forgot what his life was like. I came and went as I pleased. I still had a duty to perform; I could not always linger nearby. I never realized that he enjoyed my company so much. After all, all we did was fight. "_Oi, that's my piece of meat!" "Too bad, brat." "Why I…" "You'll do what, Naruto? You forget I'm stronger than you." "Just you wait. I'll become stronger than you one day." "Oh? You forget you're several million years too young to beat me." _I didn't realize at the time that I too enjoyed those times. They say with age comes wisdom. If that is true, then why was I so blind?

I did notice something, however. A trait thought long to be lost. It could be because of Kyuubi or could not be. I wasn't really sure how, but I saw it. This little boy possessed a lost skill, the skill of the magic. I suppose I should explain. Magic is divided up into three major categories: Nature Elemental, Emotion Elemental, and Cosmos Elemental. Emotion Elemental Magic had been lost for ages, becoming a natural part of immortals and mortals alike. Thus this magic is rarely mentioned anymore. The magic of Nature and Cosmos Elementals remains within the immortals, but such skills had been lost from the mortals. The Jutsu that the ninja perform are merely incorrect forms of magic. Nature Elemental Magic is based off of things found in nature such as fire, wind, water, ice, and earth. Cosmos Elemental Magic are things that are unexplainable or found in space such as light, dark, peace, chaos, moon, sun, and stars. My powers are Cosmos based, though I have been able to tap into Nature type spells, but only the most basic and simple ones.

The dormant power I found sleeping inside him was Nature Elemental based. Mostly fire type. Figures, Kyuubi was always a bit of a pyromaniac. While I am not exactly skilled in that area, I taught him all that I could to bring out that potential. Even then, I seemed to have just brushed the top of the hidden potential that was locked inside him. As a mortal he was strange. As a ninja he was an idiot. Yet his style was unique and different. For a mortal he was strange, but he had heart. As a ninja he was an idiot, but he was still a force to be reckoned with. He was creating his own way of life. There was more to him than met the eye.

So I watched. I watched him grow stronger with each day as he strode towards his dream of becoming Hokage. He learned things faster than a normal mortal and was actually pretty smart underneath that thick skull of his. He grew not only in strength, but as a person as well. He began to see the world around him and how harsh it could be (not something to be showing a twelve year old, but he had to learn). Also, he learned that the world can be kind. It was amazing to watch him grow.

Then when he graduated from the ninja academy, he met his first friends. They were classmates, becoming teammates, who didn't really like each other. His teacher was strange too. However, I felt reassured after I checked to see whom each of them was. They would get along just fine. (Mother confirmed it for me) It may be a bit rough in the beginning, but it seemed it would work out.

When he wasn't on missions or training, I was teaching him all I could in my free time. I still didn't noticed what he hid from me. Age does not bring wisdom and sight. I always look back to see myself scolding him when he did things he shouldn't be doing, like goofing off when I'm trying to teach. _"Naruto! Stand Still! Do you want to learn or not?" "I do." "Then stop goofing off. Playing pranks on me isn't going to help!" "Geeze, Hotaru, lighten up!"_ I looked into the mind of a mortal once. They knew each other. What ran through his mind shocked me but I knew it was the true.

'_I had told him to stop acting like a kid; to act like what he was, a professional ninja. I had forgotten that he was never able to be a kid. I had forgotten that those snatches of time when he acted foolishly and carelessly were the only times that he could be a kid.' **(1)**  
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I was so stupid to never recognize that. Before me was a child with no childhood, parents, or friends. I failed to acknowledge it when I knew it. (I'm starting to notice that I'm thinking like that mortal above **(2)**) While I let him think of me as family (I refused to let him call me mother), I never took it seriously. He did left me speechless when he called me, _'Onee-chan!' _

Ignorance is bliss, but being ignorant can only go so far. Can ignorance be so blissful that you couldn't see what was important; the very thing right in front of you? Perhaps being a _Slatrommi_ is a curse and not a blessing. While one can see the world transform and evolve, one begins to forget. Forget things that are important and begin to take them for granted. However, you learn something new everyday, no matter how painful it may be.

When THAT happened, I wasn't there. I should have been there, but I wasn't. I felt that something was wrong, but easily disregarded it, thinking it was nothing. I am the biggest fool there is out there. You know that? I'm stupid, foolish, naïve, blind, ignorant, and the biggest idiot there is to exist in the world, past, future and present.

Whew. That felt good to get off my chest. But yes, I'm a fool and an idiot. I found out moments too late. While the power of time was at my fingertips, I can't turn back the clock of time. It's too late for that. I couldn't, even if I wanted to. Time is something that can only be watched and managed, but never can someone turn back the clock or turn it forward. I supposed Uncle drilled that into my head many times. **(3)**

However, I suppose I'm lucky. It seems mother has given me another chance. I will not let go of this chance so lightly. While it is not as I wish it would be, it is better than anything else that could have been offered. At least this way he doesn't suffer completely. My… friend… no that's not right… my otouto, he's alive yet he is not as I remember. But I guess it is the thought that counts. After all, I could have been leading him to my gates. I should be grateful with what I have.

"Otouto," I called out to him.

"Huh? What did you say Hotaru?"

I felt a smile tug on my face. "That's how I'm going to call you from now on."

"Oh. Can I call you Onee-chan?"

My smile grew. "Of course." He may not remember from before, but this time I'll make sure I am there whenever he needs me. In a way that's all I can do. I just hope that Shin will remember who he was so I can apologize. I have a feeling that will happen, but who am I to predict the future? I cannot foresee what will truly happen tomorrow, merely predict the upcoming day. Even mother's predictions (who's predictions are truer than mine) don't always come to be. As the saying goes, _'Forget about the past, it's history. Don't think about the future, it's a mystery. But enjoy the gift of today, that's why it's called the present…'_

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_Owari_

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**(1)** Taken from QianYun's story _'To Act As A Father'_. (From Jiraiya's POV)

**(2)** QY commented that her story 'To Act As A Father' and this sounded alike. (Seito: Look at what you're doing to me QY! QY: Mwuhahaha and I get to see this first cuz I'm her beta reader! Just felt like saying that...)

**(3)** Time is another _Slatrommi_. A Male. Hotaru considers him as an uncle. He is not time itself, just someone who watches and maintains it.

Seito: Did everyone enjoy? Good good, now you can do me a favor and

**REVIEW PLEASE!**


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